The Church and Convent of Saint Francis was a religious institution installed in the town of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

during

colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil ( pt, Brasil Colonial) comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Durin ...

. In the 19th century, the convent was converted into a

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. The Church of the Wounds of the Seraphic Father Saint Francis, built by the Secular Franciscan Order, is next to it. The ensemble formed by the Law School and the two churches has great historical value and is situated in Largo de São Francisco, in the Historic Center of São Paulo.

History

In 1639, the friars of the Franciscan Order came to São Paulo from

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

and initially settled in the Church of Saint Anthony. However, the place was considered unhealthy and, after a request to the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

in 1642, the friars moved to a plot of land located on one of the edges of the hill where the town was founded. On this site, in the current Largo de São Francisco, they built their convent, which was inaugurated on September 17, 1647. The convent church was extensively modified in the mid-18th century in order to achieve the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style, with a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and two Baroque carved

altarpieces An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a church (building), Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art s ...

in the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

. Also noteworthy is the rosewood choir stalls. At the end of the 19th century, the church and adjoining convent were badly damaged in a fire. At that time, a new altarpiece, bought in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, was installed on the high altar. The curved wooden ceiling of the nave has paintings on the life of St. Francis dating from 1953, reworked from those destroyed in 1880.

Church of Saint Francis

Located in Largo de São Francisco, it is owned by the Order of Friars Minor. It is situated next to the Church of the Wounds of the Seraphic Father Saint Francis and the Law School of the University of São Paulo. In 1982, the church became a registered heritage site.

Chapel of the Third Order

In 1676, the brothers of the Secular Franciscan Order began building a chapel for the order inside the Franciscan church. Inaugurated in 1787, the chapel was gradually expanded until it became an independent temple, with its facade attached to the convent church.

Law School

In the 1820s, the Franciscans abandoned the convent building because it was required by the imperial government to house the Academy of Social and Legal Sciences, now the Law School of the University of São Paulo. In 1933, the building was demolished for the construction of a new facility in the

neo-colonial Neocolonialism is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, gl ...

style, designed by Ricardo Severo.

Gallery

File:Academia de Direito e Convento de São Francisco, SP, 1862.jpg, link=, Convent (now converted into a college) and Churches of St. Francis and the Third Order in 1862. File:Largo do Capim-Largo São Francisco (SP, 1860).jpg, link=,

Militão Augusto de Azevedo Militão Augusto de Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, 1837 — São Paulo, 1905) was a Brazilian photographer and actor active in the second half of the 19th century. Militão founded the Photographia Americana studio in 1875, where his clients included C ...

: View towards Largo de São Francisco, São Paulo. File:Faculdade de Direito do Largo de São Francisco - São Paulo - Brasil 1860.png, link=, Law School of Largo de São Francisco, around 1860.

References